My Final Blog

So it looks like this will be my last blog, since I will not have internet the rest of the time I am here.
 Yesterday, first I went and met the vice president of AED- the HIV clinic- at her house. She has taken in 4 orphans who are all HIV positive and she will be taking in the little boy I am sponsoring (me and my friends) they live in a 1 ROOM house with only 1 mattress.. She also has her own son and a girl who comes to help her run things. She is such an amazing lady and sooo sweet! (I put pictures up on facebook!!!!!) Then we went out to eat at a cool restaurant where I found a mask I’m going to buy ;) and afterwards had a slow afternoon, BUT then we went to a nearby village, Lasa Cho, and met a man named John Marie. I think he runs the church in that village. Anyways the girls right of passage to become women was going on, and lets just say I say naked women running with older women chasing off the guys, after they ran they dressed and celebrated! I met some of the CUTEST kids that John Marie and his wife took in as orphans and his parents. Very HAPPY woman!!! Well as Nicole was talking to someone, this old woman came up to me and gave me a bowl, kind of like a coconut shell but a different fruit, and it had some liquid in it that she told me to drink. I looked at Nicole puzzled and she said it was VERY rude not to drink it. So I had a sip. I INSTANTLY realized I was drinking a home made beer! HAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!! It wasn’t that bad. Nicole said it was probably one of the best things I could drink because they boiled it so much that it got out all the bad stuff. Hehe. The day after that was pretty average...

So, today I am going to be experiencing real African market food! One of my friends here is going to take me out and eat some! I am super excited J

I will not have access to the internet after Friday because where I am going for a week they don’t have wireless. So sadly this will be my last blog. I want to thank everyone who has read this blog and wanted to see what was going on in my life! As well as everyone who has been praying for me! I haven’t gotten terribly sick at all! Which is great, considering all the other interns did.

I will see everyone in less than two weeks! Thanks again!!!!

In Him,

Abbie

Orphans

Hey all 

Sorry the internet has been out for like a couple days! Well, Thursday night I went to a camp for kids affected or infected with aids. It was a blast! The kids had a market where they were taught to sell things when they get older. 

On Wednesdays we go to the orphanage to read the kids a bible story. Obviously I don't have a clue what they are talking about! Afterwards, we play "baseball" or color! :) This little boy colored a picture and gave it to me. It was so cute! The orphans are kids who -have no parents and have aids. The kids are starving for attention and are so eager to help you.

So there is this little boy who is living with his grandma because his parents have passed away. Now the grandma has a tendency to not take care of him. He is Hiv positive and needs his medicine. His grandma thinks it is just some burden to take care of him and because of that he has contracted turboculousis and was not taken in to get it helped out, which resulted in him being blind. One day Nicole and Capitan went to check on him and he was sitting on the porch starving. So they have found a woman to take him in and take care of him. They just need to convince the grandma that it will be best for the little boy to give him up so she can take care of herself. Since he is moving out, he needs a sponsor for al of his medicine and food and school costs. It is only 60 to 80 dollars a month for everything, I told Lauren Haynie and 2 other friends and we decided to put money back each month to help this kid out! I am really excited because I get to go and meet the boy. 

Well thanks everyone for your prayers!

In Him,

Abbie

Festivals

So Saturday we went to a festival called Evala. It is where the boys from the ages 16 to 18 wrestle. It is an initiation rite. The boys go away from their families for about a week in a special hut and prepare to wrestle. Before the wrestling they go on a pilgrimage which involves climbing three mountains; those who do not complete it are not initiated into adulthood. Although the wrestlers are initiated whether they win or not, it is considered shameful of the family of the wrestler. The last of these initiation rites is circumcision. Which happens after all the wrestling is completed. To me this sounds like something you would read in national geographic and how awesome is it that I got to and experience this first hand! This is such a big deal to the people of Kabiye because the president came and he is from Kabiye ( which is where I am living) There are 'cheerleaders' who welcome him in by standing along the road and chanting. The younger men and older men all dance around in a chant together and cheer on their village. They put white chalk mainly on their heads and do the same to the wrestlers. ( I have pictures of this all over my facebook!) Before the ceremony can began, the president has to approve of the chanting and cheerleading, once he claps it is 'safe' for everyone else to clap as well. When the fighting begins, it is VERY exciting! There is one referee and 5 pairs of two people fighting. So at the most there are ten people fighting. People tend to get very mad if you do not respect the rules laid down. To win you must have your opponent on the ground flat on his back or belly. If the ref does not see it he will make them go again. Once a red team hit a white team for behind, which respectively you are not supposed to do, and the whole village tried to come out and defend him. Oh and another thing there are army/police EVERYWHERE controlling the crowd. All in all it was a great experience and fun to par take in as a tourist. This is so well known that people from France come and watch it. So you tend to see more white people around this time of the year.

There is also a younger women initiation going on. The women have a tradition that they get naked and run to the top of a mountain. The people in the towns do not take it as literally as the people in the surrounding villages. The girls usually dress in a bra and a short skirt. You see, the story goes that the young girls get naked run to the top of the mountain and sit on a rock, where a snake comes out and he can tell if they are virgins or not. If they are not a swarm of bees chases them to their villages where everyone obviously knows and they are humiliated. There was a guard of one of the missionaries a few years back and his daughter was going through this initiation. However instead of her getting naked and running around, they through her a party and had the missionaries pray over her and tell her words of encouragement. They still the traditional dance and songs, they were just fully dressed. I think that it is really neat that a family can take traditions like that and make it modest and glorifying to God. 

Well I think I am going to hit the hay, it is 11:30 here and I have to get up at 7 to meet a man about a carving!

Thank you so much for showing interest in my life over here and for all of your prayers!

In Him

Abbie

Connections

It is truly amazing to me how small of a world this is. So you know that I got connected to the Kennels through our friends the Branch's. However what I have found out on this trip is that there are other people we know in common. Weird! 

The Kennel's home church is located in Denton, Tx. For those of you who don't know, that is where I live during the school year. The church is just down the road from The Village, a church I plan on visiting. It blows my mind that I can come to Africa and talk about Fuzzy Tacos and people know what I am talking about. 

I plan on taking a job in an middle/ elementary school up in Denton to work with at-risk kids. My bible study leader is getting my involved and will be my boss. Well her co worker and the Kennels are actually really good friends! I asked her about it and she knows who I am talking about. Mark said that he would put in a good word for me with the their friend and hopefully will up my chances at getting the job! 

 I just think this opportunity is helping me in so many ways. And I am truly blessed for the chance of being here.

Thank you for keeping me in your prayers! 

First Day

Hello all!

Well today was my first official day here in Kara! And let me say it is a beautiful place! And super laid back. The family I am staying with are the sweetest people! They make me feel right at home :) so today we went to the market...Boy was that an experience! For everyone who went to Mexico with us, the meet part reminded me off that and the rest, like clothes and EVERYTHING else you could think of reminded me of India. I loved it. Then later on in the day we went to the orphanage. Apparently alot of the kids had gone to this festival so there were only like 10 kids today. But they were really sweet.  Oh I found today that I get to go on a safari type thing on my way to the conference:) Hopefully I get to see elephants, zebras, cheetas, and many other little animals! 

Well I am off to bed for another day tomorrow! 

In Him

Abbie

So I am in the hotel in Germany awaiting my flight... it is 2:38 pm Sunday afternoon--Corsicana time. and 21:28(9:38) pm Sunday afternoon Germany time. i slept ALL day! i got off my plane at 9 am wondered around the airport looking probably like a stupid American, until I asked the police where to go. Found my hotel and went to bed. The 10 hour flight I was just on, I probably slept all of 30 minutes :( But now that I am all mixed up on times I should be good to go! haha

So I thinkI decided that no matter where I am going I get travelers emotion... Like when we went to India I was very very emotional on the way there. And now that I am alone I am also very very emotional. So I am going to blame it on the traveling and not me :)

Well I guess that is all for now! :)

In Him

abbie

Getting over there

I want to start my first blogging experience by saying thank you to everyone who has been praying for me and who have donated! Every little bit helps and I am so grateful for all of the support! My 'church' family is trully a blessing to me! On Sunday when the elders prayed for me that meant a lot! And I was trully moved by the love.

 My plane left Saturday at 4 20ish. Which means I was at the airport, oh probably around 2 something! So a long wait for me! But that is ok I passed the time reading and going to meet my dad to get the credit card that I forgot!!! YIKES

The first plane landed in Germany it is 10 hours. Then a layover for a day! Which surprisingly is not the longest plane ride I have ever been on! The next is to Ghana a 6hr and 30 min flight. Where the family I will be staying with will pick me up and drive to Togo, which is 10 of hours away!! So we stayed the night at a mission house and got up early this morning and drove....

I am doing this blog so that my family and friends can see what all I am up to over there in Togo. Since, the cost of calling someone is around 5 dollars a minute!!!!! That is insane to me! I could not get a international plan to where I am going, so it is extremely expensive! ( at least that is what my mom has told me. haha)

So I guess I will leave yall with this information about the first leg of my trip! I will hopefully get to updating as soon as i can! Until then, thank you so much for your prayers! It means the world to me! :)

In Him,
Abbie